


White Horse

by faecakes



Category: Servamp (Anime & Manga)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-08-12 01:49:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7915759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faecakes/pseuds/faecakes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“…Ah, let’s not talk about this. There’s nothing in common between your values and mine.” Or so they always believed. Who knew that a simple clash of gazes across the dinner table could lead to such a complex relationship. One sits upon a throne of glimmering white--another, a rickety chair painted crudely in black. May the games begin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. White Horse Chapter 1

Had it been raining on that day? Or was it snowing? Did the sun shine upon golden hair? Or was it as overcast as the face that darkened the doorway in the white halls…

A young figure stood before Tsurugi; the up and coming ace of the proclaimed neutral organization C3. It stood still as if it had been void of life for some time. A black snake with a cross on its head wrapped around the left arm of the youth while brown eyes stared pointedly with a hallowed touch. On the right shoulder of the young man, rested a large hand belonging to a taller figure standing proudly beside him. Smoke carried into the room at the doorway from a cigarette hanging in the mouth of the taller figure. It looked to be about half burned—average quality, nothing special.  

Something about this scene imprinted strongly into Tsurugi’s mind. He didn’t know why at the time, nor that fate had even done so upon him. Perhaps it was because he was entranced by such a figure that was now to be staying with him. Perhaps it was from the large sum of money Touma had informed him beforehand that would be his, if Tsurugi protected the boy. Whatever the reason, it left an invisible mark in time. No person in the room would ever be aware of its silent presence, but in this meeting, time itself seemed to hold its breath as two new fates crossed paths. Eyes met across the white space between them and time progressed onward once again.

“Alicein Mikuni,” Touma spoke flatly. A deep voice crackled through the air, snapping Tsurugi’s attention back. Touma raised a broad hand to remove the cigarette from his mouth with an exhale. He held it out between his forefingers, letting the heavily scented cloud of smoke blow down, “Do not let him die on your watch.”

That was all the information given before Touma left the room. The vice president had no need to bother with formalities—it was not his concern. There were far more important matters that concerned him than introducing a brat. Even if Mikuni Alicein was someone special with ties Touma himself envied, he wouldn’t give the recognition due.

Mikuni stood in the room, facing a new man he was now to live with. Immediately, this man more than anyone else in C3, stood out to him. Was it because this man seemed closest to his own age? Maybe there was a kinship to be found here. Or was perhaps that this man before him stained the room like black ink spilled on fresh paper? What made the other before him contrast so starkly compared to everything else? It unsettled Mikuni if ever so slightly—but it was enough for Jeje to shift on his arm, sensing the change in his master’s blood.

Not wanting the silence to continue, Tsurugi decided to take up the initiative—as he usually did, and offered a friendly exchange to his new roommate. He walked forward to sit down at the dinner table residing in the centre of the room; subtly inviting Mikuni to do the same. This was after all… an important introduction, purposefully set at dinner time. Or rather… Tsurugi assumed it was done purposefully. Mikuni seemed to believe it nothing more than bad timing and ill-gotten planning.

“I’m Kamiya Tsurugi, 19-years-old~! Nice to meet you,” Tsurugi began with a bright smile, “Let’s get along from now on~ Umm… Alicein Mikuni? 16-years-old huh… so young~! I’ll call you ‘Kuni-chan’!”

The chipper tone and just as much blindingly bright countenance clashed from the get-go with Mikuni’s own. For being such a dark figure, Tsurugi seemed the opposite personality wise of his appearance. Mikuni wasn’t so sure of spending time with someone this bubbly—especially when in comparison to the quiet company of Jeje he’d become so accustomed to since leaving home. That instance itself had occurred months ago. However, it wasn’t so long ago that no one would know. Would this man think him cruel if he came across such knowledge? Would he be repulsed by the Eve of a Servamp? It was hard to tell from a first meeting if this man even knew anything; but it was important to gauge him and learn where things stood. Information was the most important tool in any arsenal, or so Mikuni was coming to learn from his quick advancement into adulthood.

The Alicein first born had never chosen this life. Rather, it was thrust upon him in a moment’s passing. A parent’s own foolish night of self-indulgence and passion had far more consequence than originally thought. Then again… one smitten with lust rarely thought clearly. Thusly, it became Mikuni’s self-imposed responsibility to act on reason’s behalf in his own household at only the age of 8. No one had ever asked Mikuni to take on such responsibilities, yet he felt in a way that there was no choice in the matter. In the flash of a single night he’d become an older brother to a bastard child he hadn’t even known existed. Mikuni never knew how old Misono had been when his blood mother was killed, but seeing him for the first time the child certainly could not have been older than a few months.

Everything about the situation had angered him then—and to this day sill: his father’s negligence, the grief his own mother had been put through, the disloyalty to his original family, the lies enforced upon everyone to maintain a perfect image, and for what? To cover his father’s own blunder? That somehow predestined countless others to be compromised on his behalf? Oh but Mikuni had played his assigned part well—diligently so. To this day even when he’d left without a word—the Servamp of Envy at his side, Mikuni knew Misono believed him full well to be his brother by blood. Lily was due in part to that. With the Servamp’s ability in creating illusions there was no way Misono could ever know the truth, nor anyone else outside of the direct family… hopefully. That remained to be seen with the man before Mikuni now.

Taking a seat at the table as well, Mikuni removed the new uniform given to him when first inducted into the organization; a simple white hoodie with a clasp designed in C3’s image and corresponding black lines on the shoulder. The blonde hung it up neatly beside his school uniform, mirroring his roommate’s own display of clothing. How strange was it that both he and the new man before him shared the same school uniform—yet had never come in contact. Then again, there was a bit of an age difference between them, so it wasn’t completely abnormal.

“I’m really the only one here that’s around your age,” Tsurugi continued—paying little mind that his new conversation partner was about as talkative as any inanimate object in the room. Tsurugi didn’t care, he’d talk to the walls all day if he felt like he was having a conversation on his own terms. What was one to do when living in solitude anyways and craved social interaction?

Taking fork in hand, Tsurugi began spinning about the al dente noodles around the silver utensil, mixing them poorly in the marinara sauce provided for his meal, “Ask me anything okay?” he concluded raising up his forkful to begin eating.

_‘Not even a single thanks for the meal… how crude.’_

That would’ve been Mikuni’s initial response to Tsurugi’s action as he folded the napkin provided neatly into the collar of his button up to keep his clothing pristine, elbows resting just off the edge of the table. However, there were more pressing things to bring to light—especially now that Tsurugi had given him the go ahead with an open-ended question. Lifting up his own utensils, a fork and spoon, Mikuni indulged in what had been up until now a completely one-sided conversation.

“How much do you know about me?” he began while spinning the noodles around the utensil. Raising up a neatly spun forkful of pasta decorated in a high-grade crème sauce he placed it to his lips. There was a high contrast already to the table manners between both men. Heavens know what other etiquette faux pas would be discovered as time passed.

Tsurugi, admittedly not having expected a response in return anymore, was surprised to finally hear a voice from the youth before him. Yellow eyes flickered with a brightness while raising from their meal to view the figure before him. All too eager to have a full conversation, Tsurugi happily continued on—but in his own way. This would certainly keep Mikuni talking he wagered. If Tsurugi were to give a straight and honest answer, no doubt the sullen youth would not say a word further to him. The C3 member couldn’t accept that now that the walls were finally talking back to him after years of silence.

“I know… enough to where you’d think ‘Geh—He knows _that_ much?!’” he teased in a tone that would surely keep his companion on his toes. In truth he did know quite a lot—about the Alicein scandal that is. He knew how much they were worth, why the eldest son had left. He knew as much as Mikuni had told the president when he’d arrived, which then trickled to Touma, and of course to Tsurugi. If there was a way Touma could use this to his advantage to get ahead, just as he’d done with Tsurugi’s abilities and circumstance, he’d undoubtedly do so. Nothing was sacred in this building of blinding white, nor would it ever be. Mikuni too, would learn this in time.

Of course, like any of Tsurugi’s joking around until this point, jibbed just as well with Mikuni as it did the next person. Was this person dressed in black before the Alicein actually a cheerful soul? Or was this truly a sadistic man bent on rubbing fur the wrong way? He seemed to have an unnaturally adept talent for it. The wide grin on Tsurugi’s face certainly did no favours in Mikuni’s eyes with this. The blonde felt his grip tighten on the silverware in hand. Out of his right ear, Mikuni swore he could hear a hissing mimicking a snicker although Jeje never showed such emotion. He wouldn’t let Tsurugi’s impact outwardly show however. Just like he’d done at home, Mikuni would put on a front for this man as well and play chess on another’s board once again.

 

* * *

 

  _‘_ _Take a seat at your throne I have prepared for you, young sir. You seem tired—ragged even. Have you been playing chess long? You certainly look it—you even brought your own pieces to the board.’_

Dressed in a fine white suit that was almost blinding to view, Mikuni took his seat on the white painted chair now seated behind him. The chair was finely carved with a leather cushioning to the back and seat. Moldings along the chair’s frame decorated it in an ornate pattern of floral embellishments and swirling decals. There was no sign of wear or imperfections. The chair never once budged or made sound as Mikuni took his seat. All legs were evenly balanced and the cushion cradled and supported at the exact points necessary. The finish was dazzling. It looked as if the white paint could never be chipped even with brute force. Surely this chair was the work of an artisan.

Across from Mikuni resided the chair of his opponent. It was a black, putrid chair that looked like it’d been pulled from a rubbish heap. The framework was distorted and broken in several places. Jagged cuts of wood jutted out on the back and sides. The legs were also horribly misshapen. Not a single leg of the chair matched. Had these legs been salvaged from other chairs in an effort to create some sort of Frankenstein wreck? The height of the legs were uneven, which caused the chair to wobble back and forth in an effort to find some sort of balance point. Furthermore, there was no cushion—only the same dull wood that was scratched and scuffed like the rest of the object. The paint was chipping in various places and it looked like it had never had a proper finish job. In fact, had the owner of the chair been the one who’d painted it themselves? Paint that had run from too much being applied was visibly dried on the legs and armrest. Ah yes… speaking of, the chair seemed to be missing an arm? Was that intentional as well? Doubtful… judging by the rest of the monstrosity.

 _‘I’ll be playing the black pieces~’_ a bright voice broke through from the shadows of the side opposite Mikuni. It pierced like a rapier through the darkness, and did not seem to suit the desolate aura around the other side of the board.

From the shadows stepped out the figure of Tsurugi, dressed in a simple black long sleeve top and black pants. He had no shoes of his own, yet it seemed not to bother him as he helped himself right into the rickety chair and rest his feet upon the treacherous woodwork.

He smiled happily from his perch, eager to begin the game as he viewed his opponent dressed in white.

_‘White moves first Kuni-chan!’_

* * *

 

 “Is the fact that when you make that face my mood gets worse not included in that information?” Mikuni countered Tsurugi’s teasing with a witty remark of his own, “Then you really don’t know that much.”

Mikuni took another bite of his dinner, seeing no point in speaking any further with the man before him.

 

* * *

  _‘White Knight to F3’_

* * *

 

Tsurugi laughed briefly, seeing right into Mikuni’s joke. He knew it was a jab at himself, but he didn’t mind at all. It was quite a dull strike to be honest, so it more or less tickled him rather than cause any upset. Regardless, if Mikuni’s words were to strike him harshly or not, Tsurugi would play along; once again for conversation’s sake. The walls had been quiet too long anyways.

“Huh~? You’re not very cute, are you?”

 

* * *

_‘Black Knight to F6’_

* * *

 

Dinner concluded with little word beyond this. Tsurugi sat before his new charge with his own meal messily strewn about his end of the table, whereas Mikuni’s spot remained just as clean as it had been set. The Alicein dabbed his napkin against his lips to remove any excess contents from his meal. He then pulled the poly-cotton cloth from his neck and placed it by his utensils to be washed.

Ah… it appears the walls had fallen quiet again despite Tsurugi’s hope for more.

“Well, I have work to do so I’ll be in later. You probably need to get settled in right?” Tsurugi replied while standing from his seat. He licked the last bit of pasta sauce from his thumb before deeming himself sufficiently clean—a far cry from what Mikuni would’ve considered so.

Mikuni gave no response as he stood from his seat as well. Tsurugi exited with a small wave, to which Mikuni replied with nothing more than a regarding look. As the door shut behind the elder on a sound click, the snake that had otherwise been forgotten in the room slid out from hiding. Its black form cast shadows along the white walls of the room, distorting in shape as they engulfed the snake’s presence. From this, footsteps could be heard from the enlarged shadows while a tall figure dressed head to toe in black emerged. Three bags sat catawampus atop his head, covering his face from viewing eyes. The tall man did not speak as he stood beside Mikuni—awaiting orders.

Mikuni himself gave no word and simply brushed past Jeje’s human form to take care of the dishes that had been carelessly left behind by his new roommate. What an irresponsible man... Taking his own first, Mikuni stacked his silverware on the plate along with his napkin that needed to be washed. He then proceeded to Tsurugi’s side of the table and stacked the corresponding dishes atop. Seeing the mess at his roommate’s end, Mikuni grimaced in disgust, taking into account this was the type of person he’d be staying with until further notice. Even the tablecloth needed a good wash thanks to these messy eating habits...

Jeje watched silently to observe his master—as always. Mikuni was a curious Eve, and while Jeje had been contracted to better he’d certainly been contracted to worse. At least this one held some entertainment and wit; unlike its mother. For an age of only 16, Mikuni was remarkably mentally advanced for his age group. He’d experienced far more than most in his life, and had adapted with a remarkable ease to it all. Never once did Jeje know of his Eve to become overwhelmed by emotion. It was both a pleasing and terrifying aspect of Mikuni’s person.

Mikuni delivered the dishes and utensils into the sink, taking the sullied linens in hand. He then held out his left arm, staring not once at his Servamp.

“Jeje… come,” he ordered flatly.

Jeje naturally obeyed, and the tall figure disintegrated into the snake form from prior. It slithered along the floor with an unnatural speed, scaling up his master’s leg to coil on the extended arm. How badly he wished his master would soon again offer him a taste of his rich blood. Out of the many Eves Jeje had chosen throughout history, Mikuni stood out as one of the few with the most delectable blood.

With Jeje coiled at his arm, Mikuni proceeded to then exit the room as well. He had been given a key by Touma to enter and exit as he pleased. For now, he needed to deposit the laundry in hand to be washed and retrieve the few items he had arrived with. Having spent multiple months only he and Jeje knew where, Mikuni had come to acquire an oddity of trinkets—one of which being a strange obsession with dolls. The most noted doll in his position he’d named Abel. She was a curious doll. To most she would appear completely normal, if not a bit oddly dressed, which made her perfect for combat in Mikuni’s view. Knowledge and deception were everything. Even the weakest person could win out against the mightiest of beasts if clever enough. To that effect, Mikuni had the doll infused with a spell of his own design. Mikuni hadn’t received a chance to practice it firsthand yet however—which lead to his exact reason for coming to C3.

It certainly was no easy task to learn of, and let alone join C3. Being a newly contracted Eve, Mikuni had little knowledge of what he was doing beyond the few simple things he’d learned from the Servamp of Lust. Servamps required a name, item, and blood of their master to be fully contracted to an Eve. From there they would obey the commands of their Eves and fight on their behalf. At the time, Mikuni was to inherit Lust, but he had no use for battling or a Servamp really. The Alicein home had been a peaceful if not a bit strange one. It was a charitable home for both the living and dead. Perhaps that’s why Mikuni’s mother could not harm Misono even after killing his mother. Who was to say? It wasn’t Mikuni’s place to know, even if he’d wondered about it as a child.

On that fateful day, Mikuni had never intended to contract with the Servamp of Envy. Everything had happened so suddenly. It was the only action he could think of instantly that could save Misono’s life. Had he been lucky or tactical in the fact that Jeje had found his offer more tempting than his mother’s? There had been multiple occasions Mikuni had wanted to ask Jeje, but it was an unpleasant conversation to bring up—and one he wasn’t certain if he’d like the answer.

Proceeding down the same sickeningly white halls of C3, Mikuni looked around for some sort of directional signs or information boards that could point him in the right direction of where he needed to get to. Unfortunately, with each corner he turned Mikuni never came across such information. Did the inhabitants of this budding insane asylum simply assume all employees and patrons knew where they were going? Surely they couldn’t be that self-absorbed. C3 wasn’t exactly a manor like Mikuni’s original home. This was a place of business. Thankfully, someone else was prepared for just such an occasion.

“You seem to be lost,” a voice much more soothing than Tsurugi’s spoke out from behind Mikuni.

The Alicein turned his frame to see a man standing behind him with auburn hair. He wore glasses and what looked to be a lab coat. However, it didn’t have a C3 insignia anywhere. Nor was this man wearing a badge. Was he perhaps a visitor? He looked awfully young, ironically… about Mikuni’s age.

 _‘Fucking liar,’_ Mikuni thought briefly recalling on Tsurugi’s statement about being the only one here his age. Tsurugi could still be right of course. The male now approaching him could just be a visitor. But if he was… wouldn’t he have some sort of identification badge at least?

“I had a feeling someone would get lost in these nameless halls, so I prepared a map for just such an occasion,” the man reached into his pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper.

Mikuni had to blink once, twice, thrice, in complete bewilderment as he took the offered paper in hand. How was this person just _walking_ around with exactly what he needed? None the less, knew where he’d be needed and who’d need it as well? Certainly C3 had its own surveillance system, but no one ever paid that close attention—or appeared this quickly to provide aid. This place was becoming more topsy-turvy by the minute. Jeje spat his tongue once as he looked at the paper with Mikuni unfolding it; almost as if showing a sign of his own surprise.

“You’re walking around without a visitor badge, yet you’re carrying items that can only be found in the housing quarters,” the youth gestured with a nod to the linens in Mikuni’s arms, “I can safely presume that you are a new recruit here. Tsuyuki Shuuhei, my father worked as one of the researchers here.”

Shuuhei extended a hand to exchange pleasantries. Sure… it was a bit American for his taste, but he was prepared for the other’s reaction. To which, Mikuni indeed responded and shook hands in greeting. Shuuhei was already far ahead of Tsurugi in Mikuni’s social approval ranking. It wasn’t just because he’d provided information for the Alicein in a pleasantly straightforward and prompt manner, but the way he carried himself was just as plain. Mikuni could respect that, and found comfort in it—even with the quirk of being prepared to an almost psychic extent. Mikuni should’ve long since abandoned any hopes for a normal life the moment he was born into this world, yet he still felt nostalgia in pretending from time to time.

“Alicein Mikuni,” he responded before their hands returned to their sides respectively.

Shuuhei didn’t seem the least bit bothered by Jeje’s presence on Mikuni’s arm—something Mikuni noted inwardly. Surely this man didn’t know that Jeje was a Servamp.

“Just so you know, Servamps are to stay tied to their masters at all times here.”

Ok… so he did know.

Mikuni thought to question Shuuhei as well to see how much the other knew about him, but withheld at the last moment. If Shuuhei was introducing himself, he obviously didn’t know of Mikuni’s name or who he was. This was backed by the fact that Shuuhei had also assumed he was new upon first encounter. No point in giving this man anything to guess into—especially with how unnaturally good he was at perceiving things.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind so I’ll leave the map with you for now.”

Sunnuva bitch.

“Should you need it, I prepared some laundry detergent and fabric softener in the laundry room for you. Farewell.”

Mikuni starred on in somewhat a state of shock as Shuuhei passed by him and continued on. Even Jeje was more silent than usual. It would’ve been hard to tell Jeje’s emotions given the Servamp never spoke, but he usually shifted and flexed his muscles over Mikuni’s body when in his animal form. This time however, he sat just as rigid as his Eve stood. Note to self: don’t even think around Tsuyuki Shuuhei.

 

* * *

 

By the time night had fallen, Mikuni had gotten everything into his new room and had mostly finished unpacking. He had a large backpack that looked like it could store a small body if one really tried. Thankfully, no such item was within—nor taken out. Instead, Mikuni had filled an otherwise empty bookcase to the brim with various scriptures. There was everything from classic literature, to encyclopedias, religious studies, to novels on vampires. Mikuni had what seemed to be a never ending thirst for knowledge and no matter how many books he acquired it never was enough to sate him. Jeje found the behavior somewhat fascinating and would often spend nights perched atop Mikuni’s shoulder as the blonde read through the printed works. Jeje himself didn’t much care to read—not being able to read at Mikuni’s pace either, but he enjoyed in the interest his Eve took with it. Mikuni’s blood would surge and drop with excitement and devastation as the printed words filtered through his eyes. The sensation of Mikuni’s blood reacting was heavenly to the Servamp. In some instances, Jeje could even find himself lulled to sleep by Mikuni’s warm blood alone; flowing steadily beneath his skin.

In addition to the vast collection of books, there were a number of dolls that had been unpacked. Abel, Mikuni’s prized possession and his reason for joining with C3, sat atop on Mikuni’s bunk, perfectly centred in front of his pillow. Mikuni had assumed the top bunk was his, seeing as the bottom one was messily made (if one could even call it made), and had a few shirts laying on it. The top bunk meanwhile looked as if it hadn’t been touched in years. In light of this, Mikuni had taken care to wash those sheets as well only to discover there had just been enough detergent set aside for both the linens he’d brought down earlier and his bedding.

…Mikuni would have to pick up a book on psychics to deal with this Shuuhei guy.

Back to the room however, besides Abel, there was a small array of other dolls. Most of the dolls had similar size and stature which created a rather lovely uniformed collection in Mikuni’s opinion. Most sat on the bookcase, safe guarding his precious well of knowledge. Beyond this, Mikuni had some spare clothing which had been folded and put away, as well as a few letters from home and photos. While he was to have no contact with his family, that certainly didn’t stop them from worrying how their precious boy was doing on his own. There had been a few times Mikuni had been tempted to respond to the servant’s letters, but never once did he feel a need to write to his father—nor even receive a letter from the man. To say there inlay a burned bridge between them was a bit of an understatement.

When Mikuni has been setting up all of his things, he’d noticed something unsettling and odd about the room. Although it was certainly obvious someone lived here, there was absolutely nothing personal to be found within. It was akin to walking into a messy hotel room. There was furniture, food, and clothing from the one who inhabited it, but beyond this there was nothing. By nothing, it was absolutely nothing. Bookshelves lay empty covered in dust. There was perhaps a spot that looked like a TV should’ve been present but was not. There was a chair and a couch at least for the living room area. The dining room area was only decorated with a table, chairs, and a light. There was not a picture to be found in any room, or plant, or… anything to show off just a bit of decoration. Even the kitchen was remarkably empty. Other than a microwave, there wasn’t a single appliance—stored away or on the counters. The cupboards themselves were sparsely filled, containing mostly microwave dinners, or instant noodles and curry packs. Just what sort of life did his roommate lead? Was he away on missions so much he had no need for any sort of entertainment at home? Even so… if he’d been working here as long as Touma had implied when first learning about Tsurugi, surely Tsurugi would at least have a few things.

With nearly the last of his things unpacked, Mikuni heard the tumblers in the main door to the room began to rumble. The door opened soon after and Tsurugi entered with his key in hand. The door swung shut behind him with a sound click. Tsurugi bent down and removed his shoes, walking into his home then. He could see the light peeking out from the bedroom and peered his head in, seeing Mikuni setting up the last few items from his luggage.

“Aah~! You got your stuff unpacked. It looks so cool in here,” Tsurugi chimed.

Mikuni turned his head to respond, being now in a somewhat better mood after some time to himself, but Tsurugi had already blown past whatever he was going to say in favour of investigating these new changes to what was originally his living space. Right away, Tsurugi’s hands went at the bookshelf, hovering over the stacks of books inside excitedly.

“You have so many books! You must really love reading—Oh! Look at your dolls! They’re so cute~~ Did you give them all names?” Tsurugi turned to Mikuni with a bright smile and glittering eyes.

Mikuni, feeling a bit of pride at the other’s enthusiasm over his favoured possessions was happy to answer, and opened his mouth to do so—only to be interrupted again.

“Wow--! You even have a snake with you!”

Oh… right. Jeje.

In a flash, Tsurugi was up close and personal with Mikuni, eyeing up Jeje who had stiffened and seemed to feverishly be looking for a dark corner to slither off and hide in. Jeje didn’t care for loud noises; and this new person Mikuni was to be spending time with was the epitome of such at the moment. Thankfully this time, Mikuni was able to speak as the snake that had taken purchase on his shoulders began slithering down along his arm.

“Uh—yah. His name is Jeje. I’ve had him since I wa—“

“Since you became his Eve,” Tsurugi finished.

For a second it seemed the child-like curiosity about him had vanished into something far more sinister and cunning. Mikuni himself felt a minor wash of a cold sensation along the bottom of his spine. In a blink of an eye though… it was gone. Was it just coincidence? Unlikely… seeing as few things here were ever to be mere happenstance.

 

* * *

 

Mikuni stared at the board before him, already analyzing just what sort of opponent he’d be facing. It seemed that upon their opening moves, Tsurugi was simply mirroring him to toy with Mikuni as he pleased. Now however… the atmosphere had changed dramatically. The childish giggling and smiles had been cast away now that the game had begun. Tsurugi sat with bare feet upon the chair like before, only know his hands rested atop his knees; nimble fingers tapping along the kneecaps as he awaited Mikuni’s next move. Yellow eyes had opened just enough to appear as slits. The man before Mikuni looked something like a large cat on the prowl now, only far more cunning. Was this the real Tsurugi of C3 under the playful mask?

With caution and more methodical thought to his actions now, Mikuni made his next move on the board. He began by lifting a pawn.

 

* * *

 

Jeje wasted no time in slithering away from the far too noisy conversation and took residence under Tsurugi’s bed for the time being. It was a dark and secluded place where he was unlikely to be disturbed for the foreseeable future.

Tsurugi chuckled at the snake’s behavior, finding it quite adorable, “Is he shy?”

“No,” Mikuni sighed in annoyance as he took his gaze from where Jeje had slithered off to back up at Tsurugi—starring pointedly, “He doesn’t like loud noises.”

 

* * *

  _‘White pawn to C4’_

* * *

 

Even with the pointed stare that was obviously a polite way of telling Tsurugi he was the problem, Tsurugi took little offence. The C3 member merely laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. An apology was appropriate here wasn’t it?

“Sorry,” he chuckled out, not in any way meaning it. He simply believed it was something he was supposed to say, “I talked with Touma-san and we have combat training tomorrow. The higher-ups want to measure your physical skill and magic abilities so they know where to place you in training.”

For once, since he’d arrived, Tsurugi actually spoke of something that caught Mikuni’s interest. It appeared his new roommate wasn’t just mere catty talk, but actually had some valuable words to offer him. Heavens know how often that’d happen, but it was a start. Mikuni was coloured surprised—even if he made his physical reaction rather mute beyond a raising of his brows.

“They teach magic here?” he inquired with the intention to play dumb. Of course he knew C3 taught magic—that being his very reason for coming, but perhaps by acting the fool he could gather more information. Those that felt they talked to someone of lesser knowledge tended to spill more information more easily. Sometimes, they could even be persuaded to spilling inside secrets if one played their hand well enough.

“Of course silly~” Tsurugi moved around Mikuni to hop into his lower bunk. He moved aside a few of his shirts so he could sit cross-legged and continue their conversation, “We’re magicians after all. You’re the first of us to ever have a Servamp as well. I bet the president was really impressed.”

“I wouldn’t know, I didn’t get to meet him,” that was a lie.

“Aww~ too bad~ I hear he loves unique people,” Tsurugi replied. Was he playing dumb as well? “We should get to bed soon. The officials want you there by 6 tomorrow morning.”

“Why so early?” Mikuni questioned.

“The exams take a while. They test things like stamina, stress, intellect, strength, flexibility, and such. It’s pretty full on if you ask me. Most people pass out if they aren’t cut out for it~”

“That’s not exactly something you should smile while saying.”

“Eh~? Why not? I think smiles are cute! You should try smiling more~ You haven’t done it once since you got here Kuni-chan.”

There really hadn’t been a reason for Mikuni to smile since arriving here, “Can you stop calling me that?”

“Nah~”

Somewhere near Mikuni’s temple he felt a vein throb in agitation. This guy… _Really_ …

However, despite his annoying behavior there was something Tsurugi had stated Mikuni couldn’t argue against. If Mikuni was to be at the exam by 6 AM it was best he got to bed early. Even better, by at least going to sleep that would cause his roommate to shut up. Surely Tsurugi wasn’t THAT kind of roommate that would keep talking while the other tried to sleep. Mikuni could only hope at this juncture…

Scrounging through his things, Mikuni pulled out his sleepshirt and pants from his drawer, “I’m going to bed then,” Mikuni muttered as he headed to the bathroom to change.

“Oki-doki~” Tsurugi chimed after.

Once Mikuni shut the door to the bathroom, Tsurugi’s smiling expression slowly fell and his eyes opened again. Yellow orbs took in the changes that had been made to the room with an odd feeling running through him. Tsurugi couldn’t place the exact feeling but it was just… strange. He wouldn’t touch Mikuni’s things of course—he felt no need to, but he mentally took note of them as he got up from his bunk and walked around the room.

“Books… dolls… nothing really special,” he muttered quietly.

From beneath the bed, a small pair of eyes looked out at Tsurugi while he walked around.

The elder man sat himself down in front of the filled book case. He curled his knees to his chest while resting on the balls of his bare feet. Arms curled around shins while Tsurugi examined the titles of the books. He wondered if Mikuni had read all of the books here, or how many times he’d read them. From the distance he could hear Mikuni brushing his teeth. He’d likely be done soon.

With a crack of his ankles, Tsurugi stood up again and proceeded back over to his bunk. A moment later Mikuni opened the door, staring down at Tsurugi who was still in his work clothes.

“Aren’t you going to change?” he inquired with a bit of scrutiny.

“I will in a bit. I think I’ll take a bath first if that’s ok.”

Mikuni had to resist rolling his eyes, but nodded and moved past Tsurugi to climb up into his bunk, “Just do it fast and try not to be loud,” he grumbled. Mikuni was a horribly light sleeper; so much so that even the sound of running water was enough to wake him.

“I’ll be as quiet as a church mouse~!” Tsurugi sung—embodying the exact opposite of such, “Good night Kuni-chan~!”


	2. Chapter 2

Whoever invented the hours between 4 AM and 6 AM then demanded people be conscious during that time period was a sociopathic bastard and needed to be castrated. With a heavy groan as his alarm clock chimed its irritating wakeup call, Mikuni stretched a hand out past his blankets in a lazy attempt to find the stupid object. Blind fingers fished around the textures of cotton fabric and woodwork until they landed on something square and plastic. They skimmed along the surface, mentally counting each plastic button they passed until the digits found the large switch they had been hoping for. Taking hold of it, index finger and thumb moved the lever one notch to the left and the agitating sound of the alarm was heard no more.

“Morning Kuni-chan~!”

God—damnit… _speaking of agitating.._.

Tsurugi helped himself out of bed when he’d heard his roommate’s alarm go off. Tsurugi wasn’t exactly a morning person, but he wasn’t much for rest either. In fact, Tsurugi had actually spent the majourity of the night outside of their newly shared bedroom. Tsurugi didn’t have any work or other errands to do in particular at the time; he just felt it unnecessary to sleep then. The 19-year-old had sat in the dining room milling over about various subjects in his head while a lone cigarette hung in his mouth. With each thought that came to pass the tobacco slowly burned away to ash until there was nothing left.

As the night had worn on, Jeje—who had been tucked away under the shared bunk, slowly emerged to view the light peeking into the room from outside. Despite the ability to, Jeje did not venture far enough to leave the room but chose instead to peak around the door that lay just slightly ajar. He observed Tsurugi who was acting quietly—quite a contradiction to earlier. It seemed that this new person Jeje’s Eve was to be staying with was one who wore masks. At the moment, neither the bubbly mask nor this quiet one seemed particularly dangerous, they would be observed at a distance however. It was hard to judge anything accurately by first appearances alone.

For hours Jeje observed Tsurugi, who mulled listlessly in the dining room. The clock in the room marched on just as silently. Its numbers on display were never once taken into consideration as dusk began turning to dawn. It was perhaps quarter after 3 in the morning before Tsurugi finally removed himself from his seat. A lead crystal ashtray that had collected a few completed cigarettes was taken in hand and carried over to the rubbish bin where it was emptied. Discarding the ash, Tsurugi then walked over to the sink to lazily wash out any of the more stubborn remainders with a quick dousing of water. After which, the C3 member then knelt down under the sink cabinet and put the ash tray away. Tsurugi didn’t feel any particular need to try and cover up the scent of smoke for his roommate. He was certain Mikuni could already smell the scent from the moment he’d walked into the room. Tsurugi didn’t smoke heavily, but he seemed to burn through cigarettes more easily when in thought. To that effect—he didn’t actually smoke them as Touma would. Instead, Tsurugi would simply let them burn away like incense in his mouth.

Seeing that Tsurugi was on the move, Jeje slithered back to his hiding place for the night. He could have chosen to curl up with Mikuni then, but Jeje wasn’t much a people person. He found the seclusion of the crawl space beneath their bunks far more suiting to his tastes. Whether that was due in part to having spent hundreds of years in shadows both in and out of the Alicein home was anyone’s guess.

Tsurugi slipped into bed soon after with all the lights turned off. He hadn’t bothered changing his clothes once since showering or smoking and simply let them be as is. He didn’t see much point in changing when he’d just have to do it again tomorrow. His clothes weren’t stained with blood and they didn’t smell horrid so really… what was the point in something so trivial? Tsurugi didn’t find the harsh rubbing of denim on his legs or constrictions of the skin-tight jeans all that uncomfortable. Hell—he’d fallen asleep in his own bathtub a number of times without batting an eye. After all… how could one possibly think something like this was uncomfortable when they’d been through so much worse already?

It had felt like time had barely passed before Tsurugi heard Mikuni’s alarm sounding. The noise, while somewhat startling, didn’t seem to annoy Tsurugi like it did his roommate. Yellow eyes opened without a hint of sleepiness, carrying a hallowed gaze. It was almost robotic how the 19-year-old responded; much like how his new counterpart had been when given dramatic news in the past. Control of emotions was everything for them, yet for vastly different reasons.

Tsurugi listened to his roommate fumble around on the bunk above him, searching for the alarm clock to shut it off.

 _‘1… 2… 3… 4…’_ Tsurugi counted the seconds calmly until the alarm’s tone was silenced. It seemed like now was a good time to play his part in acting the innocent roommate woken by the other’s noise.

Closing his eyes again, Tsurugi breathed in deeply before rolling out of his bed and standing up tall. He stretched himself out on his bare tip toes. One hand reached to the sky, while the other crossed over his head to help aid in stretching his back. There was no sound crack as bones creaked into place, but it felt relaxing none the less and helped kick his chipper demeanor into gear.

“Wakey wakey Kuni-chan~!” Tsurugi chirped again giving the mound of blankets a gentle jostling to rouse his roommate, “You don’t want to be late for your exam do you?”

If Tsurugi wasn’t in danger of being killed before, he certainly was now by having actually touched Mikuni while the other was still trying to rise at the ungodly hour. It was too fucking early for any of this shit. An overwhelming majourity of Mikuni’s will wanted to throttle that sing-song voice right out of Tsurugi and render him mute—but… he had to play nice. Strangling one’s roommate until they lost their voice did not reflect well on a new recruit.

With a low and grouchy _‘SHUT… UP’_ being growled from beneath the blankets, Mikuni finally sat up in bed—only to hit his head against the ceiling.

“FUCK--!” He cussed while gripping the crown of his head in pain while Tsurugi burst out into a full on fit of laughter at his roommate’s expense. That had not been expected for either of them. Tsurugi, for a moment, dearly wished security cameras were allowed in the residence quarters so he could’ve watched the scene over and over again.

Mikuni could feel tears of pain sting the corners of his eyes as the blankets fell back over his shoulders. A messy bed head of blonde hair was revealed in the process. Through it all, the Alicein resisted any outbursts beyond the initial curse when his head had met the cement ceiling in an unforgiving exchange. He soon after glared daggers down at Tsurugi who was attempting to stifle his own laughter. Mikuni would’ve liked to think that the other man was attempting to stop out of respect; but if he had learned anything so far it was that this man—Tsurugi, was anything but respectful.

“Are you ok?” Tsurugi asked between a few remaining chuckles.

Mikuni was half-tempted to respond sarcastically with an ever so enthusiastic _‘Oh yes, hitting my head against a cement ceiling is always part of my morning routine’_ , but figured that would just ensue more laughter. Instead, he simply rolled his eyes in a silent disgust and crouched low so he could carefully get down from the top bunk.

Tsurugi naturally moved aside for Mikuni to get down. His hand gripped the banister of the bed, swinging himself around with ease. He watched Mikuni get down and head off directly to the bathroom to get ready. There was a resounding slam of the door being shut behind him which made Tsurugi both flinch and snicker in response. Mikuni really was a cranky one… but maybe that could make him cute if he had other finer points to his person. Tsurugi decided to test this further. With a growing smirk he padded over to the door after a few moments, rapping his knuckles against the wood as he waited outside—back against the wall.

“Y’know Kuni-chan, if you’re even a minute late to this exam they might kick you out of C3 all together. They don’t tolerate tardiness; every second counts here~.”

On the other side of the door, Mikuni was mid-routine, brushing his teeth when he heard Tsurugi’s words. He stared at himself for a moment in the mirror—a brief flash of worry crossing over the Alicein’s features as he pictured a life again without a roof over his head and hurried his routine. Mikuni would’ve preferred to spend more time cleaning himself up and appearing presentable, but he didn’t want to risk being late either. With a splash of water over his face to wash it, Mikuni quickly toweled off and brushed his hair. Normally, he would’ve added in some pomade to the blonde tresses and splashed on some oils for his skin, but he didn’t have the time unless he wanted to risk being late. It was likely Tsurugi needed to get ready as well, and heavens knew how long that was going to take. Come to think of it… where exactly was this exam? How far away was it? Did they have enough time to get there? Fuck—he should’ve asked more questions last night rather than figure this person was in any sort of way someone he could rely on.

Throwing the door open only a few minutes later, Mikuni hurried to dress himself. He began unbuttoning his night shirt and managed about halfway before pausing. Tsurugi was still in the room.

Looking over his shoulder with a slight glower at the other, Mikuni directed his next words to the other’s presence, “…Do you mind?”

“Not at all~” came an almost cliché response as Tsurugi shrugged his shoulders.

Mikuni decided to try a different and less classic approach in hopes that might gain a better response other than something that tempted him to pierce his own ear drums.

“Don’t you need to get ready as well? …Weren’t you wearing that outfit yesterday?” _Disgusting…_

“Yah, but I’m not the one under inspection so it doesn’t matter for me.”

Perhaps it was the morning agitation still set in. Perhaps it was that Tsurugi seemed to have an unnaturally bad habit at pushing his buttons. Perhaps yet, it was the fact that Mikuni really just wanted some privacy to change… but whatever the reason, the next words out of his mouth were ones to this day he wished he hadn’t spoken.

“Don’t you have any self-respect?”

“Not at all,” Tsurugi replied back just as cheerfully. Not a beat was missed in his response.

For what seemed like several minutes the room and everything in it froze. Mikuni couldn’t believe the words he’d just heard the other reply with—and so _casually_ at that. From where he stood and the values he was raised with, one always carried themselves with the highest dignity. So to then meet someone of the complete opposite standing… it was hard to take it in as anything other than a joke. Mikuni would’ve certainly believed it was a joke as well had Tsurugi not answered with such an unsettling sincerity to himself. …What the hell was wrong with this person? In the moment of silence between them, Mikuni yet again felt that twinge of fear that had crept up on him when Tsurugi had so pointedly called out his being an Eve.

 

* * *

_'Black pawn to G6’_

* * *

 

Slowly, as if a machine were being start up for the first time, life began to leak back into the room. Mikuni could feel his body coming back to life. Limb by limb his mind connected and began to move them once more. Tsurugi stood just as casually against the wall, having never once felt the earth shift with his response. The Ace could tell it unnerved his roommate to no end which just made him smile brighter—even if the sting was the same. There was no need for this person to know. Tsurugi’s standpoint couldn’t be understood and it was better not to want understanding of the impossible. A life without desires was a life that could be lived painlessly; _how lucky he was._

 _‘Does that bother you?’_ would’ve been the next thing Mikuni would’ve said. However, it need not be asked when it was obvious what Tsurugi’s answer would be. Asking such would prompt an interest to understand and that was unnecessary.

Tsurugi opted against the opportunity for a possible glimpse at understanding and continued on the path he knew best, “You’ve got 10 minutes to get there Kuni-chan.”

_He changed the conversation._

10 minutes?! This guy had to be fucking joking… Grabbing little more than a shirt and slacks, Mikuni was forced to throw his pride out the window for the time being in order to get ready. Surprisingly enough, he didn’t hear any sort of snicker or other commentary from Tsurugi as he changed. Mikuni even glanced over once, just to see what the other was doing and was met with Tsurugi staring blankly ahead, giving a small wave after a moment before gesturing at his wrist as a signal to hurry it up. What was with this guy… seriously?

With his slacks and shirt on, Mikuni grabbed his uniform jacket and socks, bolting for the doorway with Tsurugi trotting along after. He’d put his jacket on as they made their way there, surely it would be needed upon arrival. At the entryway, Mikuni threw on his socks and slipped his feet into his boots. He probably did about the messiest lacing job he’d seen in his life before standing up and swinging the door open into the hallway.

“How far is the test room from here?” he looked back to Tsurugi whom closed the door behind both of them and began proceeding forward.

“Hmm? Oh, it’s about 2 floors down and a few turns. You _might_ just make it in time… as long as the elevator’s here~” Tsurugi turned his head back at Mikuni with a mischievous grin.

Unfortunately for the rising ace, he didn’t get to extend the mood any further as the Alicein blew past him towards the elevator. Granted, Mikuni hadn’t done much exploring on his first day here, but he did remember seeing the elevator not too far from where their room was stationed. Tsurugi simply held his smile and proceeded after Mikuni towards the elevator.

Upon Tsurugi’s arrival at the elevator, Mikuni had already pressed the button for their floor, but it appeared the elevator was quite a few floors down still.

Tsurugi clicked his tongue and hissed in mock-sympathy, “Oooh… that’s a shame~ Guess you’ll just have to take the stairs if you wanna make it!”

“Do you want me to get thrown out or something?!” Mikuni barked back at Tsurugi, already not liking the other’s lackadaisical—or rather what appeared to be a lackadaisical attitude towards the Alicein’s situation. A little compassion or help would’ve been greatly appreciated here. Not to mention how it’d make Tsurugi seem at least a little more human. As it stood right now Mikuni wasn’t entirely sure about his roommate.

“Not at all!” Tsurugi defended in surprise, “This is the first time I’ve ever had a possible partner! Plus other things~ No, no… I definitely want you to do well ❤”

_Debatable…_

Then, almost as if Tsurugi had uttered a magic spell, the elevator chimed for their floor and the doors opened. It appeared no one was inside, so Mikuni immediately got in and pressed the button for the training floor. He then pressed the button to close the door the moment Tsurugi was inside as well and they began descending. Thankfully, Tsurugi had gotten in about as quickly as Mikuni had.

With a sigh now somewhat relieved, Mikuni rested his back against the elevator wall briefly before his amber gaze rolled over to Tsurugi, “How far once we get to the floor?” he inquired.

“6th room down on your left,” Tsurugi answered with his ever cheery tone, “It’s got a sign above it and looks like a big gymnasium, you can’t miss it.”

With the instructions given, the elevator chimed again and the doors opened to reveal the new floor. Mikuni took off running with Tsurugi following along after less urgently—he wanted to watch this after all. Mikuni damn near sprinted down the hall, throwing on his jacket on and clasping the lapel closed. He hadn’t even checked to see if Jeje was with, but that could be dealt with later right? Knowing his Servamp, Jeje was silently tucked away somewhere on him given all the ruckus. At this juncture, Mikuni had gotten pretty used to his reptilian companion and hardly noticed him half the time. That is to say… when Jeje was in snake form; as a humanoid vampire it was quite the opposite.

Reaching the doors to the room, Mikuni grabbed onto the handle to rip it open but was met with an unyielding door that sent him lurching back without any give. …Locked? Mikuni tried the other door—albeit, less enthusiastically. This one was locked too. Shit… was he late? Panicked, the youth banged on the door to try and get any attention from inside.

“Hey!” he shouted, noting his breathy tone from running, “I’m here! Open the door!”

By this time, Tsurugi had caught up and sauntered on up right next to Mikuni. He watched with a complacent smile as Mikuni tried once again unsuccessfully to open the doors. The young Eve pounded on them again in nervous frustration. Tsurugi could only take so much of the amusing show before speaking up. Any longer and he would burst into a fit of laughter.

“Gee, it’s like nobody’s even here~ ❤” Tsurugi commented.

Mikuni stopped his thrashing a moment to actually take in Tsurugi’s words. Now that he mentioned it… where was everybody? Granted, it was pretty early… but the halls were completely empty. The lights were on in the gymnasium though so surely—

“It’s almost as if your exam was at a different time or something~”

One could’ve almost heard screeching brakes as Mikuni’s body completely froze. Then slowly… _ever_ so slowly, he turned around with a menacing look pointed directly at Tsurugi. His next word was spat out like venom as his eyes practically zeroed in on their target.

“ _What_?”

Tsurugi, didn’t seem phased in the least by the other’s brewing anger directed at him. Instead, he brought his index finger up to his chin, and tapped against it lightly as if he were trying to recall something. Tsurugi knew damn well this would only irk Mikuni further, but it was just too fun to tease others. He couldn’t resist himself. Besides… it was always worth it in the end, no matter what sort of repercussions it inflicted upon him.

“Yah… it’s like… your exam was at noon, not 6. I must’ve gotten the times mixed up, hahaha!”

Tsurugi had one second exactly to stop laughing and run before Mikuni’s fist met in a rather ungentlemanly way with his face. Tsurugi managed to just spot the punch in time and jumped out of the way as Mikuni missed him. He took a few hops back, still smiling at the enraged youth who’s cheeks were now starting to glow a soft red. Mikuni didn’t take kind to being made into a spectacle, and Tsurugi was about to learn that the hard way. Not that this would change anything for either of them…

“Whoa, whoa! You’re not mad are you? After all, you wouldn’t want to fight me when you’re still on proba—“

Tsurugi wasn’t even able to finish his sentence this time, as another fist came flying at him.

“YOU SET THIS UP YOU SUNNUVA BITCH!!” Mikuni roared and took off after Tsurugi as the other darted away from the Alicein’s onset rage.

Down the halls the pair ran. Tsurugi, being the more agile of the pair, easily darted around corners and hopped over any possible obstacles. He knew the layout of C3 like the back of his hand, but purposefully slowed himself to give Mikuni a much needed handicap. Said handicap proved to be a life saver for Mikuni as he slipped along the floors and nearly crashed into surprise walls that seemed to appear out of fucking nowhere. How the hell was Tsurugi dodging all of this with a purely unnatural grace to it? Even as Mikuni tore after the annoying guy with an anger induced blood-thirst; after a while, Mikuni started to notice just how out of his league he really was in this little stunt. Tsurugi, for how irritating he was, was fast… _really fast_. He could jump off walls and even run on them for a time, if his momentum was high enough. His landings were flawless and he swung around corners and leapt down stairwells like a bird in flight. How on earth was this even possible? Tsurugi’s movements and the flutter of his cloak as he scaled the halls of the building were like watching a bird in flight.

It seemed after a point that Mikuni was simply chasing the other out of a more intellectual interest to see just how far this little bird could go. The white halls of this crazy labyrinth of a building gave way to a dense forest. A black bird swooped along the trees, letting out cackles as the blonde boy tried to follow along after it in feeble attempts. How could a person fly like this? What did it take? Was this what the combative power of C3 really turned people into? Would he actually be able to achieve his goals here?

As Mikuni wondered this, he failed to notice a large stag and leopard appearing from the thicket of trees, colliding right into them and falling back into the white hallways of C3.

“FUCK—Watch where the hell you’re going you moron!” a voice barked at Mikuni.

Looking up, Mikuni saw two men dressed in a similar uniform to the one he was wearing. One was a tall and slightly broad man with short hair dusty rose coloured hair and glasses. The other was rather pissed off—clearly the one yelling at him, with long blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail and blazing blue eyes.

Tsurugi had stopped a ways ahead when he’d heard the commotion and began backtracking to where Mikuni had fallen. Spotting the familiar silhouettes, Tsurugi ran up to the pair, throwing his arms around both the unsuspecting men giving a hearty laugh.

“Yumi-chan, Jun-chan! Good morning!” he beamed as the two men tried to find their footing from the sudden inertia colliding into their backs.

Junichirou adjusted his glasses that had been knocked slightly askew from the Tsurugi’s force and smiled somewhat nervously back to him (and for good reason).

“Ah… Tsurugi, good morning.”

“YOU!!” Yumikage growled at Tsurugi, forgetting about his anger that had been directed at Mikuni for a moment, “Let me guess… this whole set up is your doing isn’t it you bastard?!” he was of course referring to the collision that had just transpired.

…Mikuni liked this guy.

“Haha! What gave you that idea Yumi-chan?” Tsurugi continued to laugh, though it really didn’t make for a compelling defense.

“You always cause this kind of shit you moron. Who the hell is this guy?” Yumikage refocused the attention back on Mikuni.

“Ah! That’s my new partner, Kuni-chan ❤ He’s not very cute though.”

“Oh, so this is why you moved out of your room,” Junichirou noted as Tsurugi finally slipped off the both of them.

“Yup~! Touma-san’s orders ❤”

Before the three began to full on converse in idle chit-chat, Mikuni decided to interject. He really didn’t care for being introduced as ‘Kuni-chan’ and everyone just going along with it as if it were an OK name to use. Getting to his feet, Mikuni offered an apologetic bow to the two men and made an attempt introduce himself properly.

“My name is Alicein Mikuni. I’m sorry for my previous actions. Please accept my apology and treat me well.”

Boy that was _right_ out of an elementary school introduction. Tsurugi sputtered and burst into a fit of laughter, Yumikage joining in with him a second or two after. Junichirou however, felt a bit sorry for the guy and offered a small head bow in return. At least this way he wouldn’t feel quite as embarrassed.

“Apology accepted, don’t worry about it. I’m Kurumamori Junichirou—C3’s Combat Squad. This laughing idiot is Tsukimitsu Yumikage, also combat squad. And you’ve clearly met Tsurugi already.”

The term ‘met’ didn’t quite capture the introduction that had transpired between the two in Mikuni’s personal opinion. However, seeing as how these two interacted with him, it appeared this wasn’t any behavior out of the ordinary for Tsurugi.

… _Great_.

“Why were you two running through the halls so early in the morning?” Junichirou then inquired.

Before Mikuni could answer, Tsurugi spoke up in his place, immediately quelling his laughter in favour of embarrassing the blonde further, “I told him that his entrance exam for the combat squad was at 6 in the morning instead of noon.”

“You bastard,” Yumikage laughed, where as Junichirou’s face changed into one of slight confusion.

“…You know they don’t give those exams anymore, right Tsurugi?”

“Huh?” both Tsurugi and Mikuni uttered in unison—though with slightly differing tones of audacity. Mikuni appeared understandably upset, again; whereas Tsurugi was quite clearly confused. Mikuni wasn’t about to buy into another one of Tsurugi’s fake acts, and immediately directed his glare to him once again. If this was another prank on top of the first one so help him…

“They stopped doing those years ago Tsurugi. We just do them now when looking at applicants for the combat squad,” Junichirou continued his explanation—seeing as how both men were in need of it.

“Oh…” Tsurugi muttered softly.

“For fuck’s sake you idiot, did you forget again?” Yumikage gave a light reprimand to Tsurugi’s head with a smack of his hand. Mikuni’s opinion of this fellow blonde was improving by the minute.

“Owwie!” Tsurugi gripped his head, even though he started laughing, “So mean Yumi-chan~!”

“Shut up or I’ll knit you another stupid scarf… in pink!”

Well… that was… quite the threat.

Mikuni’s brows furrowed watching the comedic trio, not quite sure how to take this all in. At first he’d been genuinely afraid of Yumikage, and rightfully so, but watching him and Tsurugi interact was like something out of a TV special. All they needed was an official sponsor and they were pretty much set for television. Junichirou, seeing their new guy becoming more and more lost by the minute, spoke up to stop the antics before they spiraled too far out of control.

“Ahem… Look, since he’s already here and ready, why don’t we just do the exam now? We don’t have to be at that meeting for another 30 minutes yet Yumi. It’s probably alright if we happen to run a little late given the circumstances.”

Well well, perhaps this prank wasn’t a total inconvenience after all. Mikuni felt a bit smug with how things worked out in his favour in the end, and it showed on his face as his arms crossed over each other. When Tsurugi looked over to his partner, the look he was met with reminded him something of a child that just one-uped the school bully on the playground by calling the teacher. He didn’t understand why the look was warranted.

 

* * *

_‘White knight to C3’_

* * *

 

“Sure, why the hell not. Get one annoying thing out of the way,” Yumi shrugged and began making his way toward the training room. As he walked, the blonde pulled a strap hanging from his neck, revealing an ID card to unlock the room. The rest of the group then proceeded to follow after him.

“You,” he called back over his shoulder at Mikuni, “You’re an Eve right?”

Jeez did everybody know…?

“Yes… How do yo—“

“—Needed to know if you required a weapon or not. Just use your lead.”

Despite the explanation following, Mikuni was still a bit unsettled by the question. How did Yumikage know to ask him that? Eves weren’t exactly a commonplace thing. There could only be seven in total anyways. Were there other Eves working here as well? Skeptic his new partner may have blabbered on more than he would’ve liked, Mikuni looked to Tsurugi to ask him but found himself a bit stunned to see the annoying idiot sporting a look of deep-seated worry. It wasn’t a look Mikuni even thought the other was capable of. What the hell had sparked this?

Manners took over the better part of his judgement to leave the other alone. Mikuni spoke silently between them to gain Tsurugi’s attention, “What is it?”

Tsurugi subtly perked up hearing the other’s question directed to him and looked over to Mikuni. He smiled a bit sheepishly, shaking his head of his thoughts, “Ah! It’s nothing ❤”

 

* * *

 

 For the duration of their short-lived journey, the group was mostly silent, save for a few casual banters between Yumikage and Junichirou. The two seemed to have a close friendship despite Yumikage’s seemingly unshakable bad attitude. Mikuni didn’t quite get it, but he didn’t question it either. He already had one weirdo to deal with… and this one would follow him back to his living quarters.

“Right then, exam time brat,” Yumikage announced as they reached the doors to the training room. Mikuni was sorely tempted to point out he was hardly a brat but held his tongue once again for the time being. He did offer a rather noted glower in the man’s direction however.

With a swipe of his ID card, Yumikage pushed the door open and the small entourage filed in. The training facility itself was massive—like a spacious gymnasium. The entire room was wall to wall white cement—ceiling and floor. There was one small cutout for a panel of windows high above that were darkly tinted. It was probably a room for observation Mikuni figured. Along one of the walls also lay a series of doors. There were no numbers or signs on them, so it was anyone’s guess as to what they went to. Strange…

Yumikage gave an unenthusiastic yawn as he headed over to a small table near the doors. Reaching into a bin attached to the wall, he pulled out a few clipboards and pens. The first pen was tossed over to Junichirou, who took it calmly and grabbed his clipboard as well. Tsurugi bounded over, passing on the offered utensils and plopped himself right on the table to watch.

“I don’t need a clipboard,” he hummed, kicking his legs back and forth on the table.

“Suit yourself,” Yumi grumbled and put the extra back, “What do we want to test him first on then?”

Junichirou wanted to go with the first item on the list but Tsurugi had other plans which effectively silenced him.

“We only need to run one test. Kuni-chan will obviously use his Servamp for everything since he’s an Eve, so everything else is pointless. Call for a test subject.”

“Eh?” Junichirou seemed hesitant, “Is that really necessary? We don’t have many to begin with, and wasting it on something like this is—“

“He’s an Eve right? So really…” Tsurugi then homed in his look on Mikuni, who was staring at the three of them quite befuddled, “he only needs to prove one thing,”

Something almost unnatural had changed in Tsurugi’s eyes as he locked onto Mikuni. That free flying bird the Alicein had been chasing only moments ago had now transformed into something lethal. Without even knowing the extent behind it, Mikuni could feel an off-putting aura emulating from Tsurugi. His eyes appeared almost predatory. Enough so that even Jeje slithered uncomfortably in the youth’s hood. This man… was not all he appeared to be.

“…What’s the test?” Mikuni tried not to let his voice shake as he spoke. He was determined to hold his nerve. It was rather odd considering only moments ago, this very same person now staring him down would’ve been one of the last things Mikuni would’ve thought to be intimidated by.

Tsurugi smiled, lifting his hand from the table to display one finger and pointed it directly at the other’s heart.

“Erase… a vampire,” Tsurugi lowered his hand then with a casual shrug, “It’s simple right? Your Servamp can do _all_ the work for you. You don’t even have to lift a finger. All you need to do, is give the kill command. That’s it.”

That’s… it? That wasn’t even a _test_.

Mikuni couldn’t help but snort at the pure laughableness of it all. If this was all it took to join the combat squad there really wasn’t much to this place. Even as Yumikage and Junichirou stared forward at Mikuni with a look of concern, Mikuni didn’t think on it at all. Jeje was strong, immensely strong. These idiots probably didn’t even have a clue just how capable a Servamp was under the command of an Eve.

“…Which one should we call in?” Junichirou asked to Tsurugi. Yumikage already knew which one it was going to be, and honestly… he didn’t want to watch. As much as he hated the damn things like everyone else here, this was just… cruel.

“17,” Tsurugi spoke, calm as night.

Junichirou looked once to Mikuni then once back to Tsurugi, the uncertainty clear in his eyes.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” he whispered, “He’s just a kid… something like that—“

“He’s not a kid anymore,” Tsurugi corrected flatly, “He gave that part of himself up the moment he joined this place. If he can’t even do this we have no need for him; Eve or not.”

With a heavy sigh, Junichirou dug into his pocket to make the call. It was fairly muted so Mikuni couldn’t hear the whole conversation, but even by the end of it, Junichirou still didn’t look pleased. Mikuni’s eyes shifted to Yumikage who was busy digging his heel into the ground. His teeth bit the inside of his cheek while his eyes refused to meet anything but the floor. Tsurugi continued to stare forward directly at Mikuni, the grin on his face never leaving. With the contrast in personalities before him shifting so dramatically as time went on, that smugness Mikuni was feeling before was beginning to ebb away. What kind of vampire was this going to be exactly? Was it strong? Was it a Servamp? Subclass? How many people had it killed? What was the story here?

Mikuni moved to voice his questions, upon doing so however, one of the doors opened to the room and out stepped not a grand figure he was expecting, but a small and meek child. A little girl, probably no older than Misono made her way nervously into the room. This… _this_ was who he had to kill? _A child?_

“Subject 17,” Tsurugi announced, “Subclass of the Servamp of Lust. You two should be familiar right?” he gestured towards the young vampire with a nod of his head, “kill her.”

 

* * *

_‘Black bishop to G7’_

* * *

 

Mikuni’s eyes widened in response. A subclass of Lust’s? How did they even get a hold of her? Although Mikuni couldn’t say he knew her directly since Lust had had so many subclass in his care… However, if she was his, she wasn’t someone that deserved to be killed. Lust’s subclass were only children, they helped out at the estate and had a harmonious relationship with humans. Why did she need to be killed? Any other subclass would’ve been fine, but this…

Turning his gaze back to Tsurugi, Mikuni wanted to protest—ask for a different vampire, but Tsurugi saw right through him.

“What’s the matter? You were nearly laughing a minute ago. I was even giving you a handicap by giving you the easiest one to kill. She can’t run fast or fight back, I’m practically handing you this on a silver platter Kuni-chan~”

No… No, this was wrong. This was fucked up! Who the hell thought killing a child was OK?!

“I’m not killing her. This is sick! You’re all sick!” Mikuni protested.

Tsurugi didn’t seem the least bit phased by it and carried right on with the conversation, letting Mikuni know the exact reality of the situation. Of course he’d chosen this subclass on purpose. He wasn’t an idiot. Part of being in C3 was forgoing not only that which you once were as a child, but your humanity as well. C3’s orders were absolute. They assigned you a job, you did it. There was no emotional connection to anything here. Someone may have tried to change that once in the past, but they were no longer of importance.

“If you refuse to kill her then you’ll be back on the streets with nowhere to go. I don’t care how much you’ve tried to worm your way in with the president. If you can’t kill a vampire you’re no use to us here. Bye bye Kuni-chan ❤”

Tsurugi waved to Mikuni and for the briefest moment, the young Alicein could feel the doors of C3 slamming him out. The cold of the air hit his back and the rejection overtook him. He’d be on his own entirely without a single resource. Any knowledge of how to handle the power he’d been given would be swiped away. He’d be left in the dark and be swallowed like his mother…

Without a word, Mikuni flashed his eyes up at Tsurugi then, a bright and fierce vengeance showing in them as they pierced Tsurugi’s own gaze. How did Tsurugi know his connection with the president? What _did_ Tsurugi _really_ know about him? There were too many questions bubbling inside to be locked out now. A clash of power was held between both men in that moment. Making their stance to show exactly where they stood, neither refused to yield to the other’s will. The sun blazed upon the moon casting a sea of colour down on the black and white chess board between them.

This was a game Mikuni would finish.

This was a game he would _win_.

Mikuni needed power, knowledge, position… he needed everything this enigma contained to advance himself further towards his goals. Tsurugi thought himself the winner before the match had even begun—The Eve of Envy would surely change that.

A bold hand, reached to his white pawn on the chess table before them now. The player in black sat confidently in his chair. One leg was curled to his chest, arms wrapped around it securely as he waited for his opponent to make his move. This is where the game would finally begin—where the story would be told. Which move was he making? Which set up was the trap?

Amber eyes locked on with gold as either tried to gauge the other.

‘It’s your move.’

In the world outside, Mikuni shot his arm out commanding Jeje on intent alone of his order. The Servamp of Envy transformed from his serpent state into his full figure. An onyx chain from his neck linked him to his master’s wrist. Tendrils of black encroached upon the room as the play continued.

‘Choose wisely.’

Jeje’s hands rose with guns aimed at their target. The young subclass watched in fear as her life was placed in the hands of others. This man aimed to kill her—a man she’d known only as ‘Master’ by her own. Was this really the same person Lust had spoken so kindly of to her?

 ‘After all… you can never take it back once it’s been done.’

Was this really…

“Master Mikuni…!”

 

* * *

_‘White pawn to D4’_

* * *

 

There was no single shot fired, no deafening blow that resounded in the hollow room—but a barrage. It was an absolute assault of ammunition that fired from those guns. Sounds of bullets penetrating their target and flashes of light with each blast from the trigger ricocheted from each wall of that disgustingly white room.

At the end of it all, Mikuni stood firm, his gaze never once leaving Tsurugi as his hand left the pawn in place on the board before them. Was his move correct? Who was to say for sure. The only answer Mikuni could stand firm with was one of confidence—to exude the fact that his choice in this game was one that no matter the odds he could overcome. Right or wrong, he sat back in his porcelain throne with certainty that this game would be his to take, and Tsurugi’s to lose.

 “Is that all…?” he breathed, not once taking his gaze from Tsurugi who sat back in his seat rather… surprised.

Tsurugi blinked once, then twice before cocking his head to the side and smiling brightly at Mikuni. A child-like laugh echoed in both rooms as the rising ace congratulated the young man on a job well done.

“Welcome to the combat team Kuni-chan ❤”

**Author's Note:**

> { I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing }


End file.
